I’ve started my next novel, rather than concentrate on another short story. I figure that it is better for me to have a couple of novels under my belt rather than dozens of short stories. Maybe I’m wrong. Everyone has “a novel” that they are hocking. By having a couple of novels written, maybe my chances are a little bit better than their chances. I can hope.
So far, I have 3,020 words written. That’s 3% in three days. Not too shabby, I think. I can’t expect to keep that same output in the future, but I have some numbers figured out. My goal is to have the first draft of the novel ready before the La Jolla Writers Conference in November. The deadline for their private read and critique is October 1, so I need to get the story “finished” in September. At 100,000 words, I need to write 16,667 words per month. That works out to 556 words per day. I figure if I get a minimum of 750 words (3 pages) per day, that gives me some days off (8 per month) to mull over character, plot, and the like.
Last year, I tried for 500 words per day (10,000 words per month) and there was only one day month that I didn’t make my quota. I made it back, plus some, the next month. So, hopefully this is doable. It is a 66% increase in output, but if I don’t push myself, how will I know what I am capable of?
– Brennan Harvey